Glass forming



Dec. 14, 1954 J. W. G IFFEN GLASS FQRMING Filed Feb. 8, 1952 INVENTOR. Pol-Zeus Jlmis M 6/FF/v ATTORNEY.

MATERIAL United States Patent 2,696,699 GLASS FORMING James W. Giiien, Corning, N. Y., assignor to Corning glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporation of New ork Application February 8, 1952, Serial No. 270,647

18 Claims. (Cl. 49-29) The present invention relates to the fabrication of tubulated glass articles such as funnel tubes and television tube blanks of funnel-tube configuration, and may be considered as an improvement on the method and apparatus disclosed in my co-pending application 8. N. 107,945 filed August 1, 1949, now Patent No. 2,662,346.

In accordance with the invention described in the aforesaid application, a tubulated glass article can be produced as an integral unit in a single operation by fabricating the article with the aid of centrifugal action. In the practice of that invention, a charge of molten glass is deposited in a hollow mold provided with a tubular portion, and the mold is rotated about the axis of its tubular portion to centrifugally distribute molten glass over the walls thereof. Advantageously the mold is arranged with its tubular portion vertical, and the glass charge is initially positioned over the mouth of the tubular portion. A differential pressure, preferably obtained at least in part by the creation of a negative pressure within the tubular portion, is applied to the glass charge to force a controlled amount of molten glass into the tubular portion for formation of the desired tubulation. A glassworking tool referred to as a distributor is advantageously also introduced into the tubular portion to effect annular extrusion and distribution of the glass forced thereinto desirably in cooperation with a valve which occupies such tubular portion and is so withdrawn as to subject the glass during its advancement therethrough in tubular form lengthwise along the wall thereof, to a yieldingly opposing pressure.

Tubulated funnels for use in the production of television picture tube envelopes require careful control of wall thickness in the area of juncture of the funnel and its tubulation, since if the wall thickness in such area becomes excessive, the electron beam clearance will be inadequate. While tubulated funnels satisfactory for such purpose can be produced by the procedure described in my co-pending application, such operation requires excessive care and also requires that low viscosity glass be delivered to the mold and that the mold be rotated at the necessary speed to stretch or thin out the glass in the funnel-tubulation junction area entirely by centrifugal action as required for proper beam clearance. Provision can readily be made for obtaining the necessary mold speed to attain this object for a given glass viscosity, but the continued maintenance of the required glass viscosity is more difficult and presents a greater problem.

According to the present invention, this difficulty can be substantially mitigated and a greater latitude of glass viscosity variation can be tolerated by providing, advantageously in association with the distributor, a sizing tool for sufficiently thinning the funnel-tubulation junction wall area while the funnel tube is being centrifugally completed and while the glass in such area is still soft. If desired such sizing tool can be made of graphite or other poor heat conducting refractory to reduce the danger of producing checks in the glass, or it may be made of a porous material and compressed air or other suitable gaseous fluid under pressure employed to pneumatically press the glass in such area. The application of additional heat to such area may be utilized in conjunction with the sizing tool to assist the desired thinning of the glass therein. In adidtion, the air or other gaseous fluid under pressure may be directed toward the glass in such area in directions which pneumatically aid the centrifugal action in thinning out the glass.

Various forms of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a mold suitable for centrifugally forming a tubulated article in accordance with the invention and having an associated distributor and distributor-operating mechanism, such as shown in my co-pend1ng application, with the distributor shaft equipped with a sizing tool.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the mold, distributor and sizing tool shown in Fig. l, with the sizing tool shown engaging an article that has been formed in the mold.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to- Fig. 2,?

showing an alternative type of sizing tool.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 showing another type of sizing'tool.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar toFig. 4, but showing a still further type of sizing tool.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a mold 11 having a tubular portion 12 is illustrated as adapted for rotation about its vertical axis by means of a suitably driven hollow supporting shaft 29. A vacuum line 19, containing a magnetic valve 27, is shown connected with a stuffing box 28 in communication with the bore of shaft 29, for connecting a vacuum source to the bore of mold portion 12.

Arranged alongside mold 11 is a support column 15 upon which is slidably arranged an arm 16. Rotatably suspended from the free end of arm 14 is a shaft 13 carrying at its bottom end a distributor 17 (Figs. 1 and 2). A bracket 16' coupled to arm 16 is secured to the top end of an actuator rod 40 by means of which the distributor 17 may be moved into and out of the bore of the tubular portion 12 of the mold to form a tubular article by annular extrusion of glass in cooperation with retractable valve 50, as fully taught in my co-pending application.

In accordance with the present invention, there is arranged on distributor shaft 18, between two fixed collars 21 and 22, a sizing tool 23 resiliently held against coilar 21 by a spring 24. The location of collar 21 is such that it permits tool 23 to be brought near enough to the oppositely disposed mold wall surface to engage the inner wall surface of a funnel tube 25 in the area of funneltubulation juncture under compression of the spring 24 as the distributor 17 approaches its lowermost position within the bore of mold portion 12. Tool 23 is thereby the glass in such area to limit its thickness to that which assures that a television picture tube made from the resulting funnel tube will have the required beam clearance tolerance. With this arrangement, since the shaft 18 is rotatably supported, the tool 23 carried thereby rotates therewith and with the centrifugally spinning glass so that the funnel-tribulation junction wall area is pressed solely by vertically applied pressure.

In the alternative structure illustrated in Fig. 3 the sizing tool comprises a spool 31 connected by a strap 32 to arm 16 and carrying a plurality of rollers 33 adapted to engage the glass just before the distributor 17 reaches its lowermost position so that the funnel-tribulation wall area is pressed the desired extent by the action of rollers 33 on the funnel tube 25 as it is being rotated.

' In the form of structure illustrated in Fig. 4 the sizing tool 41 has the outer configuration of tool 23, but is 'made of a porous material and is provided with an internal cavity 45; and distributor shaft 42 which may be rotatably suspended from arm 16, is hollow. As shown, tool 41 is so located on distributor shaft 4-2 between fixed collars 43 and 44 that it barely touches the glass as the distributor reaches its lowermost position.

A gaseous fluid under pressure from a suitable supply source, such for example as a compressed air supply line, is fed through the bore of shaft 42 to the cavity 45 and thence through the pores of the wall of tool 41. Pressure is thereby exerted against the inner surface of funnel tube 25 to effect thinning out of the funnel-tubulation wall area.

If desired, such gaseous fluid may be supplied under pressure at a sufficiently high temperature so that advantage can also be taken of its heat in accomplishing the application of pressure to such desired thinning of the funnel-tube wall. Altemative- 1y, a suitable gaseous fuel may be supplied under suflicrent pressure tor burning in situ in tool 41, the pores of which in such case are designed to most efiiciently burn such fuel, that the resulting combustion gases themselves exert the desired pneumatic pressure against the funneltubulation junction wall area.

1n the structure illustrated in Fig. 5 the distributor shaft 51 is also hollow and is provided with wall perforations 52, which however are slanted so as to'direct the gaseous fluid under pressure, such as air or combustion gases,to- Ward and upwardly against the funnel-tubulation junction wall area to aid centrifugal action in moving glass out of such area to sufliciently thin out the wall of the funnel tube. V

What is claimed is:

1. The method of forming a tubulated hollow glass hollowportion and a communicating tuqrlar portion which includesqotating the thickness only in such area.

2. A method such as defined by'claim 1 wherein the application of pressure to such innersurface' area is effected with a forming too'l.

3. A method such as defined by claim'l inner surface area is effected with rollers.

method according to claim 1 wherein the ap-- plication of pressure to such inner surface area is effected by a gaseous fluid under pressure.

5. A method as defined in claim,4,- wherein the apsuch inner surface area.

ly to the area of juncture ofthe funnel-and: the tubulation of a funnel-tube formed in reduction in thickness only of the wall thereof in such area.

pressure-applying means comprises on for rolling engagement with the glass.

9. Apparatus such as defined by claim 7 wherein the pressure-app y1ng means comprises facilities for directpressure-applying means comprises a tool of porous material.

11. Apparatus such as defined by claim 7 which ineludes facilities for directing additional heat toward theglass of such area.

12. A glass-working apparatus, which includes a mold of generally funnel-tube configuration, means for rotatadapted for movement through the funnel portion of the mold into the tube portion thereof to 8. Apparatus such as defined by wherein the element adapted aid in a desired wherein the portion of distribution of glass over the surface area of the tubular the mold wall, and means movable relative to 14. The of molten ass in the area method which comprises supplying a charge glass to the,junction of the funnel-forming cavity and of the depending tube-forming cavity of a vertically disposed funnel-tube mold, rotating themold about the form afunnel upwardly from the ch tube cavity axis to concurrentl arge y centrifugally in the funnel cavity against the action of gravity and a tube integral therewith downardly from the charge 111 the tube cavity aided by gravity,

mechanically assisting tion in formation of the tube, and working the Inner surjuncture of its funnel and tube.

method of forming a tubulated hollow glass 15. The article w face of the so formed funnel-tube solely in the area of to aid centrifugal action in the distribution of glass in such area.

tional heat pressure at an elevated te surface of the article at such area 17. A method such as defined by claim 16, wherein such fluid is applied in the general direction of 18. The

he glass under the centrifugal action.

mperature against the i the movement method of forming atubulated hollow glass References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Sanford Bailey Canfield Winder Breadner et a1. Orr

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Australia Great Britain Date June 7, 1910 July 23, 1929 May 24, 1932 Apr. 30, 1940 Apr. 24, 1945 July 12, 1949 Date -Oct. 20, 1930 Jan. 2, 1945 

